Operator Control Arrangement For The Driver&#39;s Cab Of A Rail Vehicle

ABSTRACT

To be able to manufacture an operator control arrangement cost-effectively, the display and operator control units are embodied such that they are functionally identical and interchangeable. A calculation unit is provided which converts process data of functional units of a rail vehicle into image data and processes operator control data on the basis of operator control actions performed at the display and operator control units. The display and operator control units are connected to the calculation unit via a data network by a network protocol for transmitting the image data and the operator control action data. A status unit is connected to the data network, which status unit determines the respectively valid status of the operator control arrangement by a rail-vehicle-specific configuration logic of the possible combinations of the display and operator control units and the calculation unit as a function of the respective status of the rail vehicle.

The invention relates to an operator control arrangement for thedriver's cab of a rail vehicle having a plurality of display andoperator control units.

The object of the invention is to specify an operator controlarrangement which at little expense enables a high degree offlexibility, for example in terms of redundancy of display and operatorcontrol units or in terms of the integration of additional functionalunits.

To achieve this object, in an operator control arrangement of the typespecified in the introduction the display and operator control units areinventively embodied such that they are functionally identical to oneanother and are interchangeable, and at least one calculation unit isprovided which converts process data of functional units of the railvehicle into image data and processes operator control data on the basisof operator control actions performed at the display and operatorcontrol units, wherein the display and operator control units areconnected to the at least one calculation unit via a data network bymeans of a network protocol for transmitting the image data and theoperator control action data, and a status unit is connected to the datanetwork, which status unit determines the respectively valid status ofthe operator control arrangement by means of a rail-vehicle-specificconfiguration logic of the possible combinations of a plurality ofdisplay and operator control units and the at least one calculation unitas a function of the respective status of the rail vehicle. Functionallyidentical and interchangeable display and operator control units hererefer both to units having a display and keyboard and to units having atouchscreen.

A major advantage of the inventive operator control arrangement is thatit can be manufactured cost-effectively, because identical display andoperator control units can be used, resulting in a cost-saving economyof scale. For users, the advantage is that only display and operatorcontrol units of one type need be stocked for replacement purposes.

In addition, the availability of the operator control arrangement isincreased, because the identical display and operator control units cansubstitute each other (redundancy). Based on the available display andoperator control units and the at least one calculation unit and thestatus of the rail vehicle, the status unit decides which data todisplay at the available display and operator control units.

To be able correspondingly to generate the displays at the display andoperator control units particularly well at comparatively low cost inaccordance with the respective different operating states of the railvehicle, the calculation units are embodied such that they each generateimage data to form image sections for displays at the display andoperator control units, and the status unit is embodied in respect ofits configuration logic such that from the image data to form the imagesections a complete display is provided at each of the display andoperator control units. Thus at the display and operator control unitsthe image data from different calculation units would be combined toform an overall image. Depending on the valid status of the operatorcontrol arrangement in each case the status unit decides dynamicallywhich image data is displayed at which display and operator controlunits.

For reasons of cost it is deemed to be advantageous if the display andoperator control units, the calculation units and the status unit areconnected to the data network via standardized interfaces. Variousnetworks can be considered for the data network; it appears to beadvantageous to deploy an Ethernet network as a data network, because ithas been tested and adopted in data processing.

Via the data network the display and operator control units exchange atleast image data and operator control actions with the calculationunits.

One way of helping to producing a particularly reliable mode ofoperation is if the inventive operator control arrangement is providedwith a further calculation unit which in a manner corresponding to theinterface connection of the one calculation unit is connected to thedisplay and operator control units, the status unit and the controlarrangement is achieved in a key area.

To increase availability the status unit can also be embodiedredundantly, if this is required on the basis of the safetyclassification of the operator control arrangement.

The availability of the operator control arrangement can additionally beincreased by the use of redundant network components. In the case of anEthernet network this can be achieved by the use of redundant Ethernetswitches.

Furthermore the inventive operator control arrangement offers theadvantage of integrating additional calculation units, which on the onehand are connected to the data network and on the other hand to anadditional functional unit for the rail vehicle. In this way it is easyto retrofit or upgrade the operator control arrangement, ii withoutchanges being necessary to the existing calculation units and displayand operator control units.

A further advantage of the inventive operator control arrangement is thepossibility of integrating the function of the calculation unit directlyinto the functional unit, thereby achieving a reduction in hardwarecosts.

To further explain the invention, an exemplary embodiment of theinventive operator control arrangement is shown schematically in theFIGURE.

As can be seen from the FIGURE, an operator control arrangement BA has adata network which is embodied as an Ethernet network EN. Connected tothe Ethernet network EN are display and operator control units AE1 toAE6, which are functionally identical and hence interchangeable. Eachdisplay and operator control unit AE1 to AE6 has a programmableprocessor (not shown) with in each case a display, an input medium inthe form of a touchscreen or keys, and an Ethernet interface. Theoperating software of the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6is permanently stored and does not change during operation with theoperator control arrangement BA. In addition the operating software isnon-specific and independent of the functional units of the railvehicle. Nor is any user data or configuration data stored by thedisplay and operator control units AE1 to AE6. As a result a simpleinterchangeability of the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6is achieved.

Also connected to the Ethernet network EN is a calculation unit BE1,which represents a programmable processor (not shown) having an Ethernetinterface; the calculation unit BE1 does not possess a display and inputmedium. The calculation unit BE1 is also connected via a bus B tofunctional units FE1 to FE3 of the rail vehicle. The calculation unitBE1 consequently contains corresponding function-specific operating andapplication software. It can also store variable user data on integratedmass storage devices.

The operator control arrangement BA illustrated furthermore contains afurther calculation unit BE2, which serves to attain a redundant form ofembodiment and consequently is embodied like the one calculation unitBE1 and is arranged in the operator control arrangement BA and is linkedin terms of circuitry.

Also connected to the Ethernet network (EN) is an additional calculationunit BE3, by means of which a supplementary functional unit FE4 for therail vehicle is incorporated into the operator control arrangement. Theadditional calculation unit BE3 is structured like the calculation unitsBE1 and BE2, but differs in respect of the supplementary functional unitFE4 in its operating and application software.

Furthermore, according to the FIGURE a supplementary functional unit FE5with a pre-integrated calculation unit BE4 is connected to the Ethernetnetwork EN.

Essential for the functioning of the illustrated operator controlarrangement BA is a status unit ZE, which is connected to the Ethernetnetwork EN. The status unit ZE represents a logical unit which is formedby a programmable processor (not shown) with an Ethernet interface, butwithout a display or input medium.

The status unit ZE contains a specific configuration logic which isdependent on the respective equipment of the rail vehicle and whichcontrols the interworking between the display and operator control unitsAE1 to AE6 and the calculation units BE1 to BE4.

The status unit ZE determines the respective status, based on analgorithmic method as a function of the respective status of thefunctional units of the rail vehicle and the availability of the displayand operator control units AE1 to AE6 and the calculation units BE1 toBE4, and configures the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6and the calculation units BE1 to BE4 correspondingly by issuingconfiguration data.

This configuration data is received by the respective display andoperator control unit AE1 to AE6; the respective display and operatorcontrol unit AE1 to AE6 also receives image data from the calculationunits BE1 to BE4 and combines this on the basis of the configurationdata received, in order to form a graphic display. The image data isgenerated by the respective calculation unit BE1 to BE4 on the basis ofthe configuration data issued by the status unit ZE and is sent to therespective currently responsible display and operator control unit AE1to AE6. In this case the image data is preferably assigned to imagesections of the display in each case.

Communication between the display and operator control units AE1 to AE6and the calculation units BE1 to BE4 takes place by means of acommunication protocol, wherein the transmission of the image data fromthe calculation units BE1 to BE4 using a compression method as afunction of the respective requirements regarding updating cycle, safetyclassification and respective load on the Ethernet network EN. In thiscase the granting of necessary resources for individual connections isconfigured by the status unit ZE.

By means of the communication protocol inputs which are made at thedisplay and operator control units AE1 to AE6 are also transmitted tothe calculation units BE1 to BE4.

1-7. (canceled)
 8. An operator control configuration for a driver's cabof a rail vehicle, comprising: a plurality of display and operatorcontrol units being functionally identical and interchangeable;calculation units for converting process data of functional units of therail vehicle into image data and processes operator control data on abasis of operator control actions performed at said display and operatorcontrol units; a data network connecting said display and operatorcontrol units to said calculation units by use of a network protocol fortransmitting the image data and the operator control data; and a statusunit connected to said data network, said status unit determiningrespectively valid status of the operator control configuration by meansof a rail-vehicle-specific configuration logic of possible combinationsof said display and operator control units and said calculation units independence on a respective status of the rail vehicle.
 9. The operatorcontrol configuration according to claim 8, wherein: said calculationunits are configured to generate the image data to form image sectionsfor displays at said display and operator control units; and said statusunit configured in respect of its configuration logic such that in eachcase a complete display is created at said display and operator controlunits from the image data to form the image sections.
 10. The operatorcontrol configuration according to claim 8, wherein said display andoperator control units, said calculation units and said status unit havestandardized interfaces for connecting to said data network.
 11. Theoperator control configuration according to claim 8, wherein said datanetwork is an Ethernet network.
 12. The operator control configurationaccording to claim 8, wherein said status unit is embodied to beredundant.
 13. The operator control configuration according to claim 8,wherein a function of at least one of said calculation units isintegrated into a functional unit of the rail vehicle.
 14. The operatorcontrol configuration according to claim 8, further comprisingadditional calculation units connected to said data network and to anadditional functional unit of the rail vehicle.